Shine Bright
by x snow-pony x
Summary: It's Christmas time at Elm Tree House, but not everyone is in the Christmas spirit. And as Tracy dreads the coming of a new year Mike has a very special present in store...
1. All Systems Go

**A/N So, some of you may know that I started a Christmas story last year... And it didn't get very far. I would like to continue it at some point, but this year I would** **like a to pre-write a story so that I can just post chapters every day or every couple of days in the run up to Christmas, with the last chapter on Christmas day itself. I was originally going to write one about Chloe in TDG, but the story I wanted wouldn't really fit... So here we are again with Tracy. XD Hope you enjoy it. :-)**

 **This was the original plan, but I've ended up not finishing it in time so I'm just going to post them once or twice a day until it's all up and carry on writing in between. This is what I get for nt being organised and thinking I had loads of time. :-)**

 **Tracy POV**

It was all systems go at the Dumping Ground. It was a week until Christmas, and everyone was excited. The tree and decorations were up, Mike had made sure that Christmas music was playing throughout the house constantly, the fridge and cupboards were full of food for the big day, and there were presents all around the living room, along with several rolls of wrapping paper and tape.

Only thing was, I wasn't nearly as excited as I usually was.

Cam's mum had been taken ill a few days ago and she had gone to see her to spend some time with her and help her out at home. And although Mike would have given me the leave to go too, I had felt it wouldn't be fair on the kids to suddenly disappear at what for a lot of them was an important time of the year.

So I had decided to stay.

I sighed as I walked down to the kitchen, where Mike was making lunch (having improved since he'd cooked for me as a kid, thankfully). I hadn't had a Christmas without Cam since she'd adopted me, and it felt strange that she wouldn't be here this Christmas, although Mike had told me I could spend the day at Elm Tree rather than on my own, which I was grateful for.

"Hi, Tracy," said Mike, noticing me as I entered the room. "Any news from Cam?"

"Not at the moment," I said. I'd just been to the office on my laptop to see if Cam had sent any emails (as apparently her mobile signal was horrendous), but there hadn't been anything. She hadn't emailed for a few days now, but I had sent her some. She was probably just too busy.

"I'm sure there will be soon," said Mike, giving me a reassuring smile.

I gave a small smile back.

"Come on, it's Christmas!" said Mike cheerfully. "You have to be happy!" He paused what he was doing and looked at me closely. "I know you're worried," he said, "but I'm sure everything will be fine."

"It's not just that," I said. "I haven't had a Christmas without Cam since I've lived with her, and then after Christmas she's supposed to be going back to New York, and..."

I sighed and trailed off, knowing I didn't have explain myself further, and not really knowing how to. Mike beckoned me for a hug and wrapped an arm around me.

"It's OK," he said. "We're all still here. You know that from last time."

I gave a small smile, but at the same time Mike's words were bittersweet. I definitely did know about last time, and even though I didn't panic anymore, I still didn't like being on my own in the house, as it still got very lonely.

"Anyway," said Mike. "Do you want to call the others for lunch?"

I nodded and pulled away, before I went to tell the kids that lunch was ready.

* * *

After lunch I was in the living room helping Harry to wrap some presents he'd bought for people. He was obviously excited for Christmas, singing to the songs that Mike had on and chatting away happily. I felt a pang in my chest as I realised just how much I wanted to be with Cam now in the same way.

"Do you think Carmen will like this?" asked Harry, as he held up some pink hair clips.

I gave him a smile. "I'm sure she'll love them."

We wrapped the hair clips, before wrapping the rest of Harry's presents.

"There, all done," I said, helping Harry to put his presents with the others under the Christmas tree. "I'm sure everyone's going to love their presents."

Harry smiled. "Thank you for helping me."

"My pleasure," I said.

Harry then left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I went back to the office to see if Cam had replied.

* * *

Mike was in the office when I got there. I opened my laptop and turned it on.

"Are you seeing if Cam's sent anything?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I'm sure she's alright," said Mike.

I opened my emails once the computer had loaded.

"She's sent one," I said.

Mike looked at me expectantly as I read through it, and then his face changed to concern as tears began to make their way down my cheeks.

"What does it say?" he asked.

"That she doesn't know when she's going to be back as her mum isn't getting any better, and that she might not even come home before she has to go back to New York," I said.

Mike gently squeezed my hand. I covered my eyes with my hands to try to stop the tears flowing, and Mike came round to my side of the desk and gave me a gentle hug.

"It's OK," he said. "When she's in New York you'll be able to video call her like you did last time, won't you?"

I nodded, although I was thinking about something else. "Mike?"

Mike looked down at me.

"Would I be able to have some leave, to go see Cam for Christmas?" I asked.

Mike smiled. "Of course you can." He paused. "I thought you wanted to spend Christmas here though?"

"I want to see Cam," I said. "It gets lonely when she's away, and I want to see her if I can."

Mike sighed. "I understand." He paused, before sighing again. "I don't know what else to do about that one."

I turned back to the laptop and sent an email to Cam, telling her that I was coming to see her. Almost instantly I got a video call.

"Hi, Tracy," she said once I'd opened the window. "I got your message. What's happened?"

"I miss you," I said. "And I want to see you before you go back to America."

Can sighed. "Look, Tracy, as much as I want to spend Christmas with you too, I don't think it's possible."

"Why not?" I asked.

"Well, I don't think there's space for you here," said Cam. "And we won't be doing a proper Christmas anyway."

"I don't mind," I said. "I could sleep on the sofa, or the floor."

Cam sighed again. "Tracy, Mum's quite ill. I don't think she'll want anyone else in her house. And she's still bossing me around like she always has. I'm only here to help her while she's ill. Then I'll come straight home!"

"Or go to New York," I said.

"We'll sort that out when we get to it," said Cam. She gave me a small smile. "I'm so sorry, Trace," she said.

"It's OK, I understand," I said. I did understand where Cam was getting from, as I wouldn't want someone I'd only met once in my house when I was ill.

Cam looked to Mike. "Can you look after her, please?" she asked.

Mike ruffled my hair, giving a smile. "Don't worry, I already am."

Can smiled back, before she looked back to me. "I've got to go, Tracy," she said. "We can talk another time, yeah?"

I gave a small nod.

"OK then, bye," said Cam.

"Bye," I said, before Cam ended the call. I then turned to look at Mike anxiously.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

I took a few deep breaths, before I flung my arms around him, hugging him tightly for support.

Mike gently hugged me back, hugging me tighter as I hugged him.

"It's OK," he said. "I'm here. You've got me."

I continued to hug Mike tightly as I started to cry. I didn't want to be in the flat my myself for so long, and I didn't know what to do.

"Hey, shh," said Mike, gently rubbing my back once he'd realised I was crying. "It's alright. Shh."

"I'm sorry," I said.

Mike gave me a squeeze. "Don't be sorry. I understand."

He then put his head on to top of my head and gave me a gentle kiss.

I closed my eyes, still hugging Mike tightly.

"You can stay here at night if you want," said Mike. "The spare staff bedroom is always free if you want it, you know that."

I gave a small smile.

"And I'm always here if you need to talk or anything else," Mike continued. "And you know where to find me."

I nodded.

Mike lowered his voice, making it as gentle as he possibly could. "Is there anything else worrying you?"

I shook my head. At the moment the only thing bothering me was not seeing Cam, but Mike already knew that.

"Good," said Mike. He paused for a moment. "Do you want the afternoon off? I don't think we urgently need you."

"Here?" I asked.

Mike smiled. "Of course."

I nodded, before I rested my head on Mike's chest and hugged him tightly again. Mike hugged me back, and I thought I heard him mumble something to himself.

"That'll be the best present ever, and make all the difference."

 **A/N So, that was chapter one. Really hope you enjoyed it, there will be more to come tomorrow. Please review. :-)**


	2. Giving Gifts

**A/N As I'm pre-writing this I don't know if people enjoyed the first chapter, but I really hope they did! Hope you enjoy this chapter too. :-)**

 **Thanks to Linneagb for reviewing. :-)**

 **I also have to give credit to Linneagb for the present idea from Tracy to Mike. :-)**

As I left the office after my chat with Mike, I was still feeling down. Mike had made me feel slightly better, and I was grateful I had the rest of the day off, but the fact that I wouldn't see Cam for months now (especially as she'd left so suddenly) still bothered me.

"Hi, Tracy," said Tee, skipping down the hallway towards me. She stopped when she saw my face. "Are you alright?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." I paused. "Are you excited for Christmas?"

Tee smiled too. "Yeah! I love Christmas!"

" I've seen what some of the others have got you," I said. "I think you'll like them."

"I haven't wrapped my presents yet," said Tee. "Would you help me?"

"Of course," I said, before we went up to Tee's room.

* * *

After we'd wrapped Tee's presents, her and I went back downstairs to the living room, and put them around the tree.

"Do you think people will like them?" asked Tee.

"I'm sure they'll love them," I said. Tee had obviously spent time picking out special gifts for everyone, and I knew the others would appreciate it.

Tee smiled. "Thanks, Tracy."

I smiled back. "You're welcome, Tee."

Tee then skipped out of the room (obviously still excited about Christmas), and went up the stairs. I carried on smiling as I watched after her, before I went down to the kitchen. When I got there I put the kettle on, made myself a cup of tea, and then sat at the table.

I turned around as someone walked in.

"Is there still water in the kettle?" asked Mike, obviously seeing my tea.

"Yeah, there should be enough," I said.

Mike smiled, before he began making himself a cup of tea.

"Are you feeling a bit better now?" asked Mike.

I sensed he was obviously worried, as he always was when one of us was upset. "Yeah, thanks. I've just helped Tee wrap all her presents."

Mike gave a smile. "I'm glad."

I took a sip of my tea as Mike sat next to me at the table.

"Everyone's got really good presents this year," I said. I paused. "I haven't got any yet though."

"You could go this afternoon if you wanted," said Mike. "You could take the kids as well if they wanted to come."

I smiled. "Yeah, I think I'll do that."

I sat there for a few moments, finishing my tea, before I went to find the kids.

* * *

"Me, Lily and Tee will come," said Carmen, when I found the three girls in Carmen's room.

"Yeah, I haven't got anything else to do," said Tee.

I smiled. "Thanks, girls." I paused. "Right, do you want to get ready and then meet me downstairs in five minutes?"

The girls nodded, so I left the room.

* * *

We arrived at the shop, having driven in my car, and were trying to work out what to buy for everyone.

"I think Harry would like these," said Tee, pointing to some 3D giraffe stickers.

"Yeah, they look cool," said Carmen.

I smiled and put them in my basket. "I'll get them then."

We wandered round the shop, the girls helping me pick out presents (although I made sure they didn't see their own), before I had a present for everyone.

Apart from Mike.

I wanted to get him something special, something that would mean a lot, to reflect how much he'd helped me, recently and in the past.

"What about this?" said Lily, pointing to a box. It contained a mug that you could write messages on.

"Yeah, I like that," I said. I picked it up and put it in the basket. "I want to get him something else as well though."

We wandered round the shop a bit more, trying to think of something to get, before I saw something. It was a keyring that said "World's Best Dad" on it, and it was absolutely perfect. I smiled and put it in the basket, knowing Mike would love it.

"Should we go and pay then?" I said, before we made our way to the till.

* * *

When we got home I went upstairs and wrapped all of the presents, before I put them all in the living room. I took down a few, went back upstairs and went to get the rest. However, once in the spare staff bedroom I noticed something.

There was a new photo frame on the bedside table, full of little pictures of me with the kids, Mike and Gina. I smiled as I looked at it, guessing Mike had put it there whilst I'd been shopping to cheer me up. I looked at it for a few minutes before I picked up the rest of the presents and went downstairs.

AsI went down the stairs Johnny ran past me, a present under his arm. I watched him go before I went into the living room. I put my presents down, and then I decided to rummage around under the tree to see if I could work out what any of my presents were, and who they were from.

I went through the presents, making a mental list in my head, and then realised something.

Mike hadn't got me a present.

I looked through, thinking Mike might just not have wrapped any of his, but everyone else had one.

I couldn't fight back the tears. I had thought Mike cared; I'd even heard him mention a present earlier. But now he hadn't even bothered to get me anything.

"Tracy?"

I jumped as Mike said my name, and turned around to face him.

"Hey," he said, kneeling down next to me. "What's up?"

"You haven't got me anything for Christmas!" I said. "Nothing! It's like you don't even care!"

Mike sighed, putting his hand on my shoulder. I brushed it off.

"Wait there," he said. He left the room and then came back a few moment later with a small package.

He sat on the floor next to me and handed me it. "Open it."

"Now?" I asked.

"Now," said Mike. He paused. "This was going to be your present, but I have a better one now, so you might as well just open this one."

I opened the parcel, tears coming to my eyes again as I saw what was inside. It was a silver necklace with a pendant.

"Daughter," I whispered. I flung my arms around Mike's neck, hugging him tightly.

Mike gently hugged me back. "I guess this means you like it?"

I nodded, before I pulled away. I picked up the smaller of my presents and handed it to him.

"I'll wait until Christmas," said Mike as I tried to offer it to him.

"Open it now," I said.

Mike took the present and opened it, and I swear I saw his eyes glisten slightly as he read the keyring. He then hugged me tightly.

"Thank you," he said. By his voice I could tell how much this meant to him. He saw himself as a father to all of us, but to have us confirm it obviously meant more to him than we could imagine.

"You're welcome," I said.

We hugged for a few more moments, before Mike let me go.

"I've got things to do," he said. "You alright now?"

I nodded, giving him a smile, before he got up and left for the office, a smile on his face as well.

 **A/N So, this is probably a little bit short, but that seemed like the perfect place to end it. Really hope you liked it, please review. :-)**


	3. Testing Times

**A/N I'm getting on quite well with this story, and hopefully all of you are enjoying it so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Thanks to Linneagb for reviewing. :-)**

I smiled as I watched Mike leave, both because he had liked the present I'd given him, and also because of the present he'd given me.

"Daughter," I said again, reading the lettering on the necklace. I put it on and smiled, before I got up and left the room.

Johnny was standing at the doorway, and made me jump.

"Hi, Tracy," he said. "Um, have you got a minute?"

I smiled at him. "Yeah, sure."

We went to the quiet room and shut the door.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I, um..." Johnny hesitated. "I was looking through the presents earlier, and, I, um, dropped one, and it, well, it didn't sound good."

"Right," I said. "And where is this present?"

Johnny left the room and came back a few moments later with the broken present. I recognised it immediately.

"That's the present I got for Mike!" I said. I could feel tears coming to my eyes, but angrily pushed them away. "We'll speak about this later."

I took the present off Johnny and went into the office.

Mike was there, as I'd predicted, and looked up as I entered. When he saw I was crying he quickly stood up and put his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

I sank into a chair, before I opened the present Johnny had given me. The mug was in pieces.

"Who's that from?" asked Mike.

"Me," I said. "It was going to be your present, but..."

"But you dropped it," finished Mike.

"No," I said. "Johnny did."

Mike looked at me, obviously upset for me, before he gently took the present off me and enveloped me in a hug.

"It doesn't matter," Mike said gently. "I've had my present from you already."

"It does matter!" I said. "I wanted to get you two things, two special things."

"Well how about you and Johnny go back to the shop and he can pay for a new one," said Mike.

I nodded, smiling, before I suddenly remembered. "That was the last one."

As I cried more Mike held me tighter, but I pulled away, wanting a bit of space.

"Trace?" asked Mike, obviously confused by my actions.

"Just leave me alone," I said. I then left the room, ran up the stairs, and lay on my bed.

It was so unfair. Mike had always done so much for me, and now I couldn't even give him the present I'd bought.

There was a knock on the door, and Tee came in. She came and stood by the bed whilst I sat up.

"Johnny told me what happened," she said. "Is there anything we can do to fix it?"

I gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about it." I paused. "Besides, you didn't even do anything."

Tee gave a small smile back. "No, I know, but Johnny did, so..."

I nodded, understanding. As his sister, Tee felt it was her job to clear up the mess.

I gave another small smile. "I'll sort it out."

Tee smiled back, before she left the room.

I sighed. I didn't know exactly how I was going to sort it out, seeing as there weren't any other mugs left, but I knew I had to find a way.

I went back down to the office, where Mike was talking to Tee. He smiled when he saw me, and Tee turned to face me.

"Hi, Tracy," said Mike. He frowned when he saw the broken present, which I'd brought with me. "Tee and I were just trying to work out how to fix that one."

I gave a weak smile. "It doesn't matter." I paused. "I'll sort something."

Mike gave me a look, obviously knowing that it did matter, and that it mattered quite a lot.

"Well, I want to fix it anyway," said Tee. She paused for a moment, seeming to have an idea. "Hang on. Tracy, come with me."

I did as I was told, feeling slightly confused, before I followed Tee out of the office and into the quiet room.

"How about we use a mug we already have?" she suggested. "Do you know if the pen will work on all mugs, or just that one?"

"I don't know," I said. I paused, before I smiled. "But it's worth a try!"

* * *

Turned out Tee's idea was a good one.

I got a plain mug that we had in the cupboard (and one that no one used much), and wrote something short on it, something I wanted on the mug so if it worked we wouldn't have to get it off.

We couldn't even scrub it off after a few minutes.

I smiled at Tee as we both watched the water running over the mug, the ink staying put. I held my hand up and Tee high-fived me, before I continued to write on the mug. I then put the broken mug in the bin (it wasn't really savable), before I put the new mug into the box and rewrapped it.

"I think I'll keep this in my room until Christmas," I said. "I'd rather not go through all this again!"

Tee smiled, before we both left the living room (having gone there to rewrap Mike's gift).

* * *

"We sorted it..." I paused as I walked into the office, Mike talking to Gina in a low voice.

"I was just letting you know, so you can be a bit gentle with her," said Mike.

Gina nodded.

"I'm going to go and pick up her present tomorrow," said Mike.

"Oh, she's going to love that," said Gina.

"I hope so," said Mike. He paused. "Cam emailed me just now to say she won't be back home before she has to go back to New York. I assume she didn't want to put any more strain on Tracy by making her tell us."

I sank to the floor. Cam wasn't coming back.

Tears began to roll down my cheeks, and I rested my head on the wall, listening to the rest of the conversation.

"I'm quite worried about her, though," Mike continued. "She's so fragile, it's just like, I don't know. Anything could happen."

"Well I'll make sure to keep a good eye on her," said Gina. "And I'll let you know if I think there's anything that you need to know."

There was a moment of silence, before Mike put his head in his hands. Gina rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.

I felt frozen, unable to move. Everything had just happened so fast.

"Mike?"

Mike turned as he heard my voice, before he got up and sat next to me.

"Did you hear all that?" he asked.

"The last bit," I said.

Mike sighed, before wrapping me in a hug. I allowed myself to cry.

"Cam's not coming back," I said.

Mike sighed again. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want to be on my own," I said.

"What's going on?"

Elektra was walking down the hallway, and stopped when she saw me and Mike. I huddled closer to Mike, wanting to be left alone.

"Oh, is she crying?" taunted Elektra. "Oh boohoo, boohoo..."

"That's enough, Elektra," said Mike.

"Probably not even over anything either," said Elektra. "Probably just being a cry ba..."

I turned around. "Just shut up, Elektra." I paused. "Just leave me alone."

"Aw, diddums, she..."

I didn't hear the rest of Elektra's words as I felt my chest tighten. I clung to Mike.

Mike looked down at me, before up at Elektra.

"Leave," he said, his voice as quiet and as angry as it could be. "Now!"

Elektra smirked, before she walked away.

I took one arm from around Mike and placed my hand on my chest, looking at him with panicked eyes. Mike gently took my other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Just try and stay calm, Trace," said Mike. "We can keep it here."

I tried to take some feel breaths to remain calm, though my chest still felt tight. I whimpered slightly.

"I know, Trace, I know," said Mike. "It's OK." He paused for a moment. "Do you want to go to the quiet room where it's a bit more private?"

I nodded, still clinging to Mike as we made our way across the hall.

However, when we got there, there was a problem.

A big problem.

Elektra was in there, telling all the other kids about what she'd seen and heard, and then filling in the blanks to make everything seem like I was making a fuss over nothing.

I couldn't cope anymore.

I sank to the floor where I was, my breathing quickening. Mike quickly followed, trying to support me.

"Kids, out," said Mike. They all did as they were told, apart from Elektra of course.

"Elektra, out," Mike said, obviously angry.

Elektra turned to us, and opened her mouth to say something.

"Now!" said Mike.

Elektra left the room, obviously seeing how angry Mike was.

Mike then turned to me. "It's alright, Tracy," he said. "I'm here. It's OK."

I buried my head in his shirt, desperately trying to calm myself. Mike gently rubbed circles on my back, trying to do the same.

"Shh," said Mike gently. "It's OK. I'm here. Shh. Shh."

My breathing continued its rapid pace for a few moments more before I was able to breathe again, still shakily clinging onto Mike, drawing comfort from him. Mike wordlessly wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, showing he was there for me and everything was alright. I hugged him tight, feeling safe with him there.

"Do you want to lie on the sofa?" asked Mike.

I nodded, it having made me feel better last time I'd been in this situation.

Mike gently lifted me up and I sat on the sofa, before lying with my head resting on the arm. I was still crying, the sobs shaking my body.

Mike gently took a piece of my hair, twisting it into a tiny plait, squeezing my hand as he did so. In the comforting silence I allowed my heart rate slow, my body relax, and the tears to stop. Mike was here, and I was OK.

Well I was until Frank walked in.

 **A/N Ooh, a bit of a cliffhanger for you. You only have to wait until tomorrow though so it's not too mean. Really hope you're still enjoying this story, please review. :-)**


	4. And The Present Is

**A/N Whoops... Might have left this for like a couple of weeks and now I have like three days to write this... XD This is the final chapter of my Christmas story. I really hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and that you will enjoy this last chapter. Merry Christmas everyone! :-)**

 **This was originally going to be two chapters, but I didn't have enough stuff for two, so enjoy a slightly longer chapter as a present from me. :-)**

As Frank entered I looked away, not in the mood to talk to anyone except Mike.

"What is it, Frank?" asked Mike.

"We need to borrow Tracy," said Frank.

I shook my head. "Leave me alone."

"Frank, could you possibly wait a few minutes, and then we'll come and find you?" asked Mike.

Frank nodded. "Yeah, no problem." He then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"You OK?" asked Mike.

"What do you think?" I said, more tears rolling down my cheeks.

"I'm sorry," said Mike. He gently wiped a tear from my cheek, before he put his hand on my shoulder.

"I want Cam back," I said. "I'm not going to see her for months now."

Mike sighed. "I know." He paused. "But you've still got me."

I sighed. I knew I had Mike, but it wouldn't be the same as Cam being at home every night.

"Do you want to stay here for a few minutes and then go and see what the kids want?" asked Mike.

I nodded, before I lay my head on the cushions Mike had put on the arm for me, tears rolling down my cheeks. In reality I didn't want to move, but the kids had probably done something nice to cheer me up and therefore I felt I should go when I felt a bit better.

"Hey, it's OK," said Mike. I put his hand on my head and gently stroked my hair, calming me. "I know you feel rubbish, Trace. And as you probably remember from last time you'll probably feel like this for a bit. But it'll be OK, and if you want or need anything I'm here, yeah?"

I nodded, giving Mike a small smile. I definitely remembered how I'd felt last time, but hopefully it wouldn't be as bad this time, as at least this time I knew the feeling would end, a comfort I hadn't had last time, despite how many times Mike had reminded me of it.

"Can we go and see what the kids wanted?" I asked.

Mike gave me a smile. "Of course we can."

We then both stood up and went out of the quiet room.

* * *

Frank was waiting outside the door for us, and led us to the living room, which was empty. I gave Mike a confused look, before suddenly all the kids jumped out from behind the sofa and pool table. I smiled as the kids shouted "Surprise!", and came over, all smiling. Sapphire pushed Elektra forward, who looked a bit sheepish.

"Tracy, I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have done what I did."

I sighed, but gave her a small smile. "It's OK."

Elektra gave a small smile back, before suddenly the Christmas lights were turned on and the main lights off, as several other fairy light strings were also turned on, along with some Christmas music.

"Early Christmas party!" said Toby excitedly, starting to dance, along with most of the others.

I gave Mike a smile, before I joined them.

* * *

That evening, after the party, Mike and I went down to the kitchen as the kids went up to bed. Mike made us both a cup of tea, before we sat at the island together.

"Are you OK?" asked Mike.

"Yeah," I said. "The party took my mind off things for a bit."

Mike smiled. "I'm glad." He paused for a moment to take a sip of his tea. "I assume you're staying here tonight?"

I nodded.

"Good," said Mike. "And if you need anything, you know where to find me, yeah?"

I nodded again. "Yeah." I paused. "Thank you."

Mike gave me a smile. "No problem, Kiddo."

We sat there for a while more, chatting and drinking the tea, before I felt settled enough to go to sleep.

"I'm going to bed," I said. I stood up and put my mug on the side, before I turned to Mike, giving him a hug. "Thank you for today."

Mike hugged me back. "You're welcome, Trace." He paused as I pulled away. "Night night. Get some sleep."

I gave him a smile. "Night."

I then left the room and went up to bed.

* * *

The rest of the week went by, and very soon all the kids were upstairs trying to sleep, excited about tomorrow. I was also trying to sleep, but was struggling for a different reason. However, Mike had shown me the same level of kindness and care all week as he had the first day, and I knew that I still had him looking after me.

And with that thought I drifted off to sleep...

* * *

I was woken by Harry excitedly running into my room, yelling "It's Christmas", and then being called out by Toby. I smiled and shook my head, remembering a time I'd been as excited for Christmas as he as. To be honest, I felt better today, as some of the kids' cheer must have finally rubbed off on me. We always opened our presents in our pyjamas, but Mike had made it a rule that we all had something to eat first due to one of the kids a few years back forgetting to eat in excitement and then fainting later that day. I got out of bed, folding the covers back, before I made my way downstairs.

* * *

After breakfast, we all went to the living room and began opening our presents. I watched as the kids opened their presents from me, obviously liking them, and I opened my presents. The kids had all spent time picking out things I would like, as all of them were special in their own way. Once I'd finished opening my presents I glanced over to Mike. I remembered him saying he'd got me another present, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh," said Mike. "Oh, I completely forgot. Oh, I'm so sorry, Trace."

I gave him a weak smile. "It's OK."

Mike gave me a smile, before he continued opening his presents. Tears came to my eyes, and I quietly left the room.

"Hang on, Tracy, wait," said Mike, following me out of the room.

I turned to face him. "No," I said. "You've forgotten me again, and I'm fed up with it. Just go and see the kids."

"No," said Mike. "I want you to... Tracy!"

I almost didn't know what I was doing as I picked up one of Gina's plants and threw it on the ground. My mind was spinning, and I didn't know what to do anymore. I froze, looking at the pieces of pot on the floor, and then sank onto the stairs, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Mike sat down next to me and slowly and gently wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry, Tracy," he said. "I shouldn't have said that." He paused. "Come with me."

I shakily stood up and followed him to the quiet room. There was a box in the middle of the floor. I looked at Mike, confused.

"I'd never forget about you," he said. "I just wanted you to open it by yourself."

I carefully lifted the lid of the box, and then stopped. I looked at the present, unable to form words.

"What do you think?" asked Mike.

I wanted to ask if it was really mine, but I still felt unable to speak. I gently lifted the present out of the box, and it licked me.

"Puppy," I breathed. "Oh my God, Mike. An actual puppy."

I was still in shock, and Mike gently pulled me in for a hug, probably not wanting to let me go in the state I was in.

"It's a real puppy," I said. "You actually got me a real puppy. Oh my God!"

I hugged Mike tightly, slightly squashing the puppy in the process, but it didn't seem to mind.

I looked down at it. "Aw, it's so cute!" I paused, looking at Mike. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Mike smiled. "A little girl. The last of the litter, in fact."

I smiled, giving the puppy a hug. She licked my face again, and I stroked her head.

"Do you like her?" asked Mike.

"I love her!" I said. I put the puppy down on the floor and she immediately rolled onto her back, her tummy showing. I gently tickled her.

"She's such a little Diamond, isn't she?" I said. Suddenly I paused. "Diamond. That's what I'll call you. Diamond."

Diamond looked up at me, still lying on her back, her tail wagging. Her long white fur made her look bigger than she really was, but at the same time added to her cuteness.

"She's a Maltese cross Yorkie Papillon," said Mike. "So I think that makes her a morkie maltillon, or a Maltese yorkillon."

I shook my head, smiling. Mike's breed explanation was terrible, but Diamond was so brilliant I couldn't really do anything about it.

"I can't believe you got me an actual puppy," I said.

"Well, I thought you would be lonely in the flat, and I thought she'd offer you some company," said Mike.

I paused for a moment, before I looked up at Mike and gave him a smile. It was such a perfect idea, and showed just how much Mike cared.

"I'm sorry about earlier," I said. "I shouldn't have reacted like that."

"No, I'm sorry," said Mike. "I should have known that wasn't the right thing to say."

I gave him a small smile, before I looked back at Diamond. She was sitting happily on my lap, obviously having made friends with me already.

"Do you want to show her to the others?" asked Mike.

I picked up Diamond and stood up. "Let's go!"

* * *

We went into the living room, Diamond beginning to wriggle as we walked. We then went into the living room and watched as everyone turned towards us, before the kids completely surrounded me, all excited to see a puppy.

"Where did you get that?" asked Liam.

"Mike gave her to me," I said.

"Aw, she's so cute," said Carmen.

"What's her name?" asked Tee.

"Diamond," I said.

"Aw!" said Lily, as all of the girls stroked Diamond on the head.

"Is Diamond going to live here?" asked Harry.

"No, she's going to live with Tracy," said Mike.

"But I'll definitely bring her to visit," I said.

"Bring her every day!" said Carmen.

I smiled. "I might have to at this rate with you lot!"

Everyone laughed.

* * *

Later that day, after lunch (where Mike and Gina had made us a full Christmas dinner), we were all sitting in the living room watching a film. Some of the kids were playing with their new toys, or reading their new books, or just generally looking at their presents, whilst others were watching the film. I was doing the latter, Diamond asleep on my lap (I'd worn her out with a play in the garden earlier, and she hadn't moved for hours), Carmen, Tee and Lily next to me on the sofa, stroking her. I looked up at Mike who was on the arm of the sofa and smiled. He smiled back.

"I'm guessing she was a good present then?" he said.

I smiled, nodding. "The best. Thank you."

"No problem, Kiddo," said Mike. He reached over the back of the sofa. "Besides..." he said, picking Diamond up. "I get cuddles as well, don't I?"

I smiled, shaking my head as poor Diamond was woken abruptly from her peaceful sleep, but she soon settled in Mike's arms, giving a content sigh and once again closing her eyes.

"She's so cute," I said, reaching back and stroking Diamond's head. "And she's the perfect company."

Mike smiled, obviously glad that I liked her.

No, scrap that.

I _loved_ Diamond.

And, now that I had her, the future was looking much brighter, as even when I was at home I would never be alone. (Even if I wanted to be, she had shown today she would follow me around constantly and refuse to leave.)

And she was definitely the greatest present in the whole world.

The.

Best.

Present.

Ever.

 **A/N I thought that was a good way to end it, and I hope you liked it too. The story was called 'Shine Bright' as originally I was going to call it 'Shine Bright Like A Diamond' (from Rihanna's 'Diamonds'), but I thought that Linneagb might guess what the story was about so I decided not to. XD Really hope you enjoyed the story (my first ever finished multi-chapter fic), would be nice if you could please leave one last review. :-) And a last Merry Christmas from me, and puppy Diamond. :-D**


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